


Birds of Prey, Unite

by MapacheLuna



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fukuroudani, Gen, Goodbye Third Years, farewell zine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:08:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23382820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MapacheLuna/pseuds/MapacheLuna
Summary: “Hey, nice toss, Konoha!” A shadow settled over him, and sure enough, his captain’s visage loomed over him when he finally managed to peel his dry lids apart. Bokuto was hovering over him, hands on his hips and a wide grin on his sweaty face, not even pretending to look mildly winded as he beamed down at them, the setting sun behind him actually making him glisten like the unholy spawn of Apollo and a swimsuit model.That bastard.*****When your captain arranges a three hour last minute practice, you go, even when you rather being doing literally anything else. After all, how else are you supposed to find out what runs through that giant, pointy-haired bastard's head?
Comments: 2
Kudos: 31





	Birds of Prey, Unite

**Author's Note:**

  * For [rarepairenabler](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rarepairenabler/gifts).



> ...Since I'm getting back on my haikyuu BS, I was prowling through my WIP folder, and found this! I participated in the Farewell Third Years Zine, and for some reason, never put my contribution up on here.
> 
> I'm only like, three years late, but better late than never, right??
> 
> (I'm dedicating this to Amber cause she was the wonderful zine organizer, and she kept all of us on track, and especially me, because I am utter shit at deadlines OTL)

It was official; he was going to die. He was going to die, and the cause of death was going to be the one thing he had bothered dedicating his entire high school career to, what kind of sick twisted irony-

“Whoo, that was fun! We should go again before the sun sets though!” That thoughtful hum was met with a chorus of groans, whimpers, curses, and one deadpan,  _ “Bokuto-san, please.” _

Akinori didn’t even bother opening his eyes; he slapped the ground until his hand landed on something sufficiently hard and heavy enough - _ one of Onaga’s ridiculous pointy boots, _ his tired mind provided- and then immediately tossed it, only half aware of the dull thud of impact as it hit the ground and not the pointy-haired menace it was meant for.

“Hey, nice toss, Konoha!” A shadow settled over him, and sure enough, his captain’s visage loomed over him when he finally managed to peel his dry lids apart. Bokuto was hovering over him, hands on his hips and a wide grin on his sweaty face, not even pretending to look mildly winded as he beamed down at them, the setting sun behind him actually making him glisten like the unholy spawn of Apollo and a swimsuit model.

That bastard.

“Bokuto-san,” Onaga’s voice sounded muffled, probably thanks of the mouthful of dirt he was talking around, if Akinori had to guess, “Can we go home yet? My mom is making pudding tonight.”

“Nope!” Bokuto chirped happily, eyes squinting with the force of his grin. “There’s still something we gotta do,” he slammed his fist into his open palm with a determined spark in his eyes, “As a team!”

“ _ Ugh _ .”

“I didn’t sign up for this-”

“Can we just get this over with-?”

“I think I can see my great-grandmother...she’s scolding me for dying so unaccomplished-”

“I think,” The sound of Akaashi’s long-suffering judgement was strong, even through the audible exhaustion, “That what everyone means, Bokuto-san, is that we’d like to know if this  _ ‘thing’ _ is the reason you decided to hold a mandatory three hour practice,” Akinori could see Akaashi lifting his head up from the ground, eyes narrowed pointedly at Bokuto, “On Sunday.” Bokuto was finally looking a little uncomfortable, Akinori noted with glee, “With only a thirty minute notice.” 

Akinori had to hand it to him; Akaashi managed to look pretty damn threatening even when the only part of his body off the ground was his head, the rest of his limbs just as sprawled and dirt-streaked as the rest of theirs. 

“Uh, no?”

One scuffed arm raised into the air, Komi’s voice strong despite being buried facedown in the ground, “I propose a mutiny. All in favor-”

“Hey!”

“-Say ‘ay.’”

“Ay.”

“Ay.”

“Ay.”

Akinori raised his fist into the air, solidarity be damned, “Ay.”

“Guys-”

“...Ay.”

“Akaashi!” Bokuto whined, “I promise, I had a good reason!”

“Man,” Sarukui sighed, “Just spill it out already, we’re almost out of daylight.” He was right; the sun had started dipping below the horizon, bathing everything in a soft, sepia tone, reminding Akinori vaguely of the old school photographs hanging in his great-uncle’s home.

“Alright, alright,” Bokuto pouted, “You guys aren’t being a lot of fun right now.”

“Three. Hour. Practice.” Washio grunted from somewhere to his left. “I can’t feel my knees.”

“Lucky,” Komi hissed under his breathe, pointedly lifting and lowering his own legs in the air.

“Okay!” Bokuto boomed, cutting off the third wave of commentary with a loud clap. “I need you guys to get up and gather ‘round!”

A beat of silence.

“Do we have to?”

“The quicker you do, the quicker we get to eat,” Bokuto’s teeth gleamed in the dying light.

“Everyone,” Akaashi hissed, dragging his arms up and planting them in the dirt with all the grace of the walking dead, “Up.”

* * *

“Okay, guys,” Bokuto started, still looking unfairly peppy when faced with half a dozen starving teenage boys, “I’m sure you’re all wondering why I asked you out today-”

“You mean it  _ wasn’t _ just to make fun of our stamina?” Akinori asked, sarcasm dripping from his tone. 

“Nah,” Bokuto waved him off, “I would have brought Karasuno’s little shrimp for that.”

“...That hurt, Captain,” Sarukui sniffed theatrically, tapping his chest. “Right here.”

“It really did hurt me,” Onaga muttered, accepting Komi’s pat to the back with a muted wince.

“There, there, little first year,” He cooed, “At least you’re tall.”

“Thank...you?”

“That!” Bokuto pointed, smile proud, “That’s why I wanted you guys out here today!”

“Onaga’s...existential crisis?” Akinori quirked an eyebrow. “Hardly seems worth dedicating a whole day to it, though. No offense.” He added with a glance, catching the wary thumbs up the first year sent his way.

“Got it, senpai.”

“No, not that,” Bokuto shook his head violently, white and black spikes waving in the air. “I wanted to give you guys my final captain's speech!”

Oh.

That was...unexpected.

Akinori caught them all glancing around at each other, confused blinks going around before Akaashi finally spoke up.

“Ah, Bokuto-san, that really isn’t necessary-”

“Of course it is!” Bokuto nodded sharply. “I’m your captain, and we just had our last game of the year; it’s completely necessary!”

“But right now?” Washio asked, scratching his head. “We’re still going to be having practice at school, aren’t we?”

“We are,” Bokuto agreed easily, “But not with me as your captain anymore.” He leveled a radiant smile at Akaashi, who managed to grace him with a small half-smile back before he carried on, “So I just wanted to end this year on a solid note!”

Another glance went around the small group, before Komi finally shrugged, glancing back up at Bokuto. “Alright, Captain, lay it on us.”

“Right!” Bokuto drew himself up, shoulders squared and chest out, like he was preparing himself for battle. “I just wanted to say-” He dipped sharply at the waist, startling them all, Komi giving the highest pitched yelp known to man -Akinori was going to make sure that he never lived that down, the little twerp, show him who to call Jack-of-All-Trades for all these years,- before he boomed, 

“THANK YOU FOR THESE THREE YEARS!”

“What are you-”

Bokuto straightened up, mouth pressed into a thin line, eyes wide and watery, oh god- “I just wanted to thank you guys for standing by me and letting me lead you, and choosing me to be your captain in the first place, actually, but I mean, I would have been happy just playing on the same team as you guys anyway! Because you guys are great!” The tears were literally quivering in the corners of his eyes, clinging onto his lashes by sheer luck alone, it looked like, “But also I really had a blast being the captain, and you guys never said anything about it even when I invited Nekoma over that one time and Kuroo blasted his music through the loudspeakers and we had dance offs that you guys ended up having to judge, so I’m just really really really really-”

“I think,” Akinori interrupted, stepping up next to their sniffling captain, settling a hand on his shoulder as he turned to face the rest of their team, “That what Bokuto is trying to say is, thank you,” He bowed, not as deeply as Bokuto had, but still, “For not only standing by us, but with us-”

“-As our adorable and impressionable kouhai,” Komi butted in, swinging an arm around Akinori with a wide grin aimed at the rest of them.

“And our strongest support system,” Sarukui popped up at Bokuto’s other side, trademark smile curling his lips at the corners.

“And as our team,” Washio murmured, ruffling Bokuto’s hair before settling his hand on Akinori’s free shoulder, a small, but honest grin stretching his mouth.

“The best team a guy could ask for,” Bokuto’s laughed, shaky and watery, scrubbing at his eyes with the heel of his hand. “I’m honored to have played at your sides.”

“Bokuto-san,” Akaashi finally spoke up, voice tight, “I think, the honor was ours.” Onaga was still standing next to him, the grin stretching across his face big enough to close his eyes, but not hide the moisture gleaming on his waterline. “Thank you,” Akaashi and Onaga both bowed, heads lowered for an extra beat while dirt streaked hands disappeared underneath hanging bangs not at all suspiciously.

“Thank you for your legacy,” Akaashi said after a length of time, taking the time to make eye contact with each of the third years standing across from him, eyes pink but dry, posture straight and proud. “We’ll do our best to make you proud.”

And if Akinori had to swipe his own dirty hands across his eyes real quick while a sobbing Bokuto launched himself at their extremely startled vice captain, well, Komi had no way to prove it, so there’s that.

**Author's Note:**

> *Finger guns*


End file.
